Following an impressive performance in the first half, Dallas Wings fans were not happy with head coach Jose Fernandez's decision to bench Maddy Siegrist in the fourth quarter, which resulted in an 86-90 loss against the Minnesota Lynx.

Siegrist ended her night with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with 4 rebounds and one block, all in the span of 16 minutes. But in the postgame interview, Fernandez said that he had to bench Siegrist to adjust his rotation to address Dallas’ defensive breakdowns.

“She did have a great first half. That’s why she started in the second half. But we came out of halftime in pick-and-roll coverage and gave up two threes. So that was the coaching decision." Fernandez said, per reporter Landon Thomas.

"The issue wasn’t scoring more baskets. We don’t have a problem scoring. We scored 86, 88, whatever it was. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was on the defensive end.” Fernandez added.

This was a significant game for Siegrist, as she posted a new career-high for points in a single half with 17.

Her seven field goals also pushed her past 300 for her career. The 25-year-old also added 3-of-3 from the foul line in the half.

While Fernandez let her start in the third quarter, she was removed in the fourth with only 1:25 minutes played.

While Siegrist maintained a positive attitude about her playing time, fans vocalized their frustration with Fernandez’s fourth-quarter rotation.

Fans Backlash Over Maddy Siegrist's Limited Fourth Quarter Minutes

"The young core in this team can't make mistakes, but the vets are allowed to make as many mistakes as possible."

One fan felt like Fernandez was more lenient on the veterans who were on single-digit scores with more game time than Siegrist.

"Great question. I was curious why Maddy saw such limited time down the stretch. Defensively, not worse than Sims or Zaza."

Another user shared the same sentiment, believing that Siegrist could have more difference than the veterans in the fourth quarter with a similar defensive performance.

"Just admit you made a mistake (many in fact) with your rotation…" A fan wanted Fernandez to be more straightforward after dropping Siegrist.

"And only played her 16 mins… Jose please. You need to watch a film."

One fan suggested the coach review the film of Siegrist's performance before benching her again.

One more fan simply called the move a 'terrible decision.'

The Wings now have several days off before they take on the Washington Mystics on May 19, and Jose Fernandez can finally try out the best lineups in practice, which will very well include Maddy Siegrist.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Utsav Gupta